Michigan: Stop Digging that Hole

What should Michigan be working on right now:

Michigan has a 21st Century Jobs Fund. Spend $500,000,000 on fuel cell research over the next seven years. Give domestic and private companies access to this technology who participate in the effort. Get each company to invest in the consortium and provide research scientists.

Compliment the research that's occurring elsewhere like the California Fuel Cell Partnership. Start to create an automotive fuel cell research industry cluster right here in Michigan. Why is this research occurring in California anyway?

Ask Michigan's congressional delegation to get the DOE and DOD involved. Get some legislation like this for Michigan: Semicondutor Research - Cooperative Research Program . Get the DOE or DOD to match the Michigan funding in the consortium. After all, isn't oil dependency a national security concern?

Learn from others (like Austin, TX.). Austin succeeded in attracting high paying research jobs when their economy was weak in the mid 1980's (See: Sematech). Michigan needs to look at what's worked elsewhere.

Use these legislative acts to overcome antitrust concerns and get companies working together:

National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993

Defense Production Act of 1950, 50 U.S.C. app. § 2158
. . . This Act provides that the President or his delegate, in conjunction with the Attorney General, may approve voluntary agreements among various industry groups for the development of preparedness programs to meet potential national emergencies. Persons participating in such an agreement are immunized from the operation of the antitrust laws with respect to good faith activities undertaken to fulfill their responsibilities under the agreement. . . .